Social Movements & the Law

A couple years ago, Book Riot posted an article by Katisha Smith titled, “13 Pioneering Black Librarians You Oughta Know.” Among others, Smith introduces us to Edward C. Williams, the f…

By Sue Silverman One of the first things that struck me when teaching international and foreign law research for the first time was how Western and Eurocentric international law is, from the princi…

From technology to teaching about how to use tech, libraries foster equity of access for everyone - regardless of their own means

The advances of extreme right-wing political forces in the United States, exemplified most recently by the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, highlight the importance of initiating a critical and thorough examination of the function and effectiveness of institutions long believed to serve as fundamental pillars for public education and the advancement of democratic ideals, including libraries. Despite a carefully managed and revered public image as nearly-sacred spaces for freedom in intellectual development and unobstructed democratic participation and engagement, libraries have long maintained a posture of obedience and unquestioning subordination to the needs of elite social power structures, including those historically defined by racial supremacy and oppression. Under the present conditions, and despite public proclamations about libraries being on the “frontlines” of the liberal anti-Trump “resistance”, as witnessed during 2017 American Library Association annual professional conference in Chicago, it is highly unlikely that mainstream libraries will be able or willing to spring into action and play an effective, credible role against the alarming rise of alt-right violence and proto-fascism in the United States. Such a role would have to be grounded in a progressive, alternative model for culturo-informational leadership and critical information and political literacy education in the United States. Developing this alternative in the short- to medium-term may prove a near impossibility as it would require radical changes in the way mainstream libraries are conceptualized, as well as in the ideological structure and delivery of library and information science education programs.

a blog by Mia Mingus

By Brooke Doyle You may have heard about Improving Access to Civil Legal Justice through Libraries, an initiative developed in partnership between OCLC’s WebJunction program and the Legal Serv…

Deep listening is a contemplative practice that assists us with dropping our habitual story lines so that we can genuinely engage with other people and the world around us.  It is a practice of listening with an open mind, suspending our tendency to immediately label, analyze, critique, or

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the fact that a master’s degree is required to be a librarian. For me, choosing to pursue a graduate degree in library science made perfect sense. I have …

The study found the presence and usage of public libraries and museums to be positively associated with community health, school effectiveness, institutional connection, and cultural opportunity.

Law librarians are utilizing their skills as legal information innovators and educators to bridge the justice gap by providing citizens with the resources and services necessary to engage in civics through meaningful access to justice.

Social Justice, Privilege, Equity, Inclusion. These terms are all terms that each of us as MLIS students have heard with some level of frequency. Libraries are commonly thought to be champions for …

Yep, I’m still harping on that theme of the stark lack of diversity in librarianship. For a profession that claims Diversity as  a core value and declares that “We value our nation…

A profile of an institution at the heart of our democracy

It didn’t take long for Todd Lockwood to realize that a hierarchical book classification system would not work for the Brautigan Library. He was, after all, following through on Richard Braut…

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We know that just like working out, civic activism can feel intimidating at first.  We're here to help you get started!

WITNESS is an international nonprofit organization that trains and supports people using video in their fight for human rights.

The program assists institutions of higher education serving Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian students to become self-sufficient by providing funds to improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional, management, and fiscal stability.

Some thoughts on Land Acknowledgements. Things to do, and things not to do.

Earlier this year, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) released a Territorial Acknowledgment Guide.[1] The territorial acknowledgements found in this guide vary from fairly short…

The First Nations Educational & Cultural Center and the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs are proud to support Native students in their pursuit of community and success at Indiana University.

This site is a collaborative effort between three offices at the university dedicated to the advancement of Native faculty and students, and to respectful and ethical research and engagement with Native nations.

New statement honors valley’s original inhabitants, and recognizes their presence, spirit and history as being integral to UND

Five Memphis police officers are facing murder charges over Nichols’s death.

The police murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020 was the one major act which sparked American and global civil unrest during 2020 relating to institutional and systemic racism, police brutality, and unsettled issues from the era of colonization and the African slave trade. The Protests Against Racism Web Archive contains a selection of websites documenting protests and activism sparked by the murder of George Floyd, where Mr. Floyd was the “tipping point,” the “last straw;” the web archive also includes websites documenting earlier killings of victims of racism and police brutality. Coverage encompasses protests against racism and police brutality against Blacks, police reform (both the liberal and conservative reactions to police brutality); critical grassroots movements (i.e. local Black activism, multiracial activism). This project covers “Black Lives Matter” protests and protests named in the idea of "Black Lives Matter" but not organized by the Black Lives Matter organization; the impact of these protests in various aspects of society: police reform; racism in sports, business/corporations, legislation and legislative-related activism, educational institutions, religion; reaction of Conservative America (i.e. local, regional, and state groups); other areas of society impacted by these nation-wide and global expressions, etc. This is a highly selective collection that primarily focuses on U.S. sites, and includes a small global component. Social media platforms were out of scope for this collection.

Civil right advocates, educators and lawyers, like Ben Crump, are fighting Florida education officials who rejected a new Advanced Placement course for high school students on African American studies. Officials say the course “lacks educational value,” and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis claims the course violates state law. Opponents object to the course’s inclusion of works by scholar and former Black Panther Angela Davis, and of material on intersectionality, reparations and Black queer history, among other topics. Last year, Florida passed a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that prevents Florida teachers from discussing sexuality and gender identity in classrooms. We go to Miami and Tallahassee to speak to Dr. Steve Gallon, a lifelong educator and a former teacher, principal and superintendent, who now serves as an elected school board member for Miami-Dade County Schools, and Democratic state Senator Shevrin Jones, the first openly gay person to serve in the state’s Senate.

We host a roundtable with three leading Black scholars about the College Board’s decision to revise its curriculum for an Advanced Placement course in African American studies after criticism from Republicans like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The revised curriculum removes Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer theory as required topics, while it adds a section on Black conservatism. The College Board, the nonprofit organization that administers Advanced Placement courses across the country, denies that it buckled to political pressure. “Florida is a laboratory of fascism at this point,” says Khalil Gibran Muhammad, professor of history, race and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. We also speak with two scholars whose writings are among those purged from the revised curriculum: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, professor of African American studies at Northwestern University, and E. Patrick Johnson, dean of Northwestern’s School of Communication and a pioneer in the formation of Black sexuality studies as a field of scholarship.

The Department of Justice will help conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department following the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, city officials said.